BLUEMONT VA – A sacred blessing for the Paleo-Indian ceremonial grounds took place at the Sanctuary on the Trail™ in Bluemont, Va. on April 26.
      The smell of sacred medicine of sage, cedar and tobacco filled the air Saturday as Seminole Medicine Man, and co-founder of the Oklevueha Native American Church and Priory of the Indigenous People for the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, James (Flaming Eagle) Mooney and Paleo-Indian site custodian Chris (Comeswithclouds) White, of Cherokee ancestry, held a sacred blessing ceremony. Mooney and his wife, medicine woman Linda (Bright Hawk) Mooney, flew in from Utah to conduct the historic sacred event.
      There was no large audience for the hour-long sacred blessing. No ribbon cutting. No band. Only sounds of a bubbling creek, singing birds, an occasional flutter of a butterfly or buzzing bee landing on nearby spring flowers, and sacred prayers.
     A council of three, elder Mooney, elder/land owner White, and a sacred all-consuming fire of truth (symbolized as Jesus Christ/Holy Spirit) sat inside a talking circle along the Blue Ridge Mountain, with a clutch of Eagle feathers, a few soft leather pouches, sacred prayer pipes and an eagle bone flute, while praying as a sacred crackling fire’s smoke delivered their prayers upward. The ritual included a traditional smudging ceremony used to remove any negative energy from the Paleo-Indian ceremonial grounds now and into the future.
      “Our Indigenous American Native spiritual traditions have been suppressed and taken to the verge of extinction. Such as a time as this, what a blessing Great Spirit has called Chris and René to this place and to this mission of preserving, protecting, and restoring this sacred ceremonial space,” Mooney said. “It is our hope that with their Native American Church of Virginia that they be a hub or center to assist in healing our world and all our relations,” Mooney added.     

      The Whites plan to leverage the Paleo-Indian site and their “Sanctuary on the Trail”™ as a hub to “help leaders first,” especially military veterans returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
     In response to helping military veterans, C. White, CEO of the Native American of Virginia, who found the Paleo-Indian site, shared this short story:
     “In Native American culture, when warriors went off to fight it was an individual sacrifice made for the tribe as a whole. Through the wisdom of the elders it was known beforehand that the atrocities of war and the sacrifices warriors made were not just being absent from the tribe and their families,” explained C. White.
     “While warriors may lose their life, all were exposed to unseen wounds in the spirit,” he added. “Upon returning to the tribe they were isolated, prayed over, and went through ceremonial cleansing to heal so that the things witnessed in spiritual trauma would be cleansed before entering back into society; thus, not tainting society nor the tribe, of that which they had seen and witnessed or done. So when entering back into society, they leave the warrior behind healed and enter back in to society complete and as whole as they left.”
     C. White’s wife, a retired military veteran with 22 years active duty service is also blessed in leading Native American ceremonies. R. White said, “Using sacred ceremonies is one way we hope to help our warriors.”
     She added, “Do you believe? Do you believe a person can be cleansed of war? We do.”
     The Whites are trained in leading scared ceremonies. They plan to use sacred “sweats” to help veterans cope with anxieties related to combat experiences.
     The “sweat lodge” may be new to Northern Virginia, but it is not new to Military Veteran Affairs (VA). The VA offers many sweat lodges at VA hospitals nationwide, including the VA Hospital in Richmond, Va. It is the White’s plan to partner with the Department of Defense and veteran groups to assist with the healing.
     “Leveraging the Paleo-Indian site helps validate this place as an already sacred place and a place to heal,” said R. White who is 100% percent Native American from the Lumbee Tribe.

     Speaking about the blessing ceremony for the Paleo-Indian site, C. White explains, “This is an exercise in “sacerdotalism,” which is common throughout history. It is an exercise in respect of elders. We sit like this in council with our elders. As in all cultures we honor our elders and spiritual leaders. We do not go off and do things on our own. As in many cultures, whether priest, rabbi, or cleric, we hear their words and positions on issues we feel Great Spirit is leading us towards. Their blessing is not only a concurrence and affirmation of the initiatives ahead, it is a physical attribute of our core values in regard to honor and respect. Did not Abraham receive a blessing from Melchizedek?,” he concluded.

     Does God really visit physical places? Does God consider one place more sacred than another? Is there such a thing as a scared place? Or are all places sacred?
     In reaction to these questions, C. White gave this example, “Some feel a draw to Stonehenge. Some feel a spiritual draw to Vatican City. The Bible, records Abraham heard from God concerning his inheritance in a heavenly place at Bethel (translated “house of God”.) Jacob dreamed of a ladder that went to heaven at Bethel. Elijah was translated into heaven, and that day he was at Bethel.”
        During the ceremony, Mooney acknowledged the Whites as restoring a sacred site that had been left desolate. Mooney envisioned it being restored and that people would say, “It is as the ‘Garden of Eden.’”
     C. White pointed out that Mooney had just paraphrased Biblical prophecy from Ezekiel and Isaiah.
     Hours later, following the blessing ceremony at the Paleo-Indian ceremonial grounds, the Whites unveiled the Archeologist and Anthropologist dating results of the Paleo-Indian ceremonial site at the Barns of Rose Hill community center in Berryville, Va. The evidence they released validates the site’s integrity as positive for a Paleo-Indian era ceremonial sacred usage 10,470 years ago.
      For more about the Paleo-Indian site or the Native American Church of Virginia visit www.SanctuaryontheTrail.org. The Native American Church of Virginia is a 501(c)3 compliant faith-based initiative.
     The Paleo-Indian site received an official site number (44CK151) from the Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources adding it to the state’s inventory of archaeological sites in 2011.

Related Veteran News.

• In Sweat Lodge, Vets Find Healing ‘Down to the Core’ NPR Article
• Sacred smoke to heal US war veterans BBC Article
• VA Promoting Veterans Treatment Courts at National Conference Veterans Blog Article
• Women Work through Trauma Together Article

      Spout-Run Paleo-Indian site owners are announcing dating results at the Bluemont Community Center on May 7 at 7:00 pm. The event is open to the public.
     The Bluemont Citizens Association invited the site owners to present findings to everyone who is interested in attending. The community center is a white building on the right side of Snickersville Turnpike and the largest building in the village of Bluemont in Northern Virginia. The address is 33846 Snickersville Turnpike, Bluemont, VA 20135.
      “We are briefing that this is the oldest extant above ground human structure in the United States,” said Chris White site owner. “We believe the rarity of this find deserves serious attention, so we are unveiling our Archeologist and Anthropologist dating results to you.

• We are seeking people knowledgeable in pre-history preservation and restoration.
• We also welcome those who wish to honor and respect our vision.
• And we wish to thank those who have encouraged and supported us during these past four years of research.”

     In his report, the Archeologist calls this “Spout-Run Paleoindian Complex,” “the oldest extant, above-ground, human-constructed structures in North America,”  “constructed by Virginia’s First Engineers,” and “twice as old as Stonehenge.”

     The find is in Bluemont, which crosses into both Loudoun and Clarke Counties, from the Shenandoah River up the mountain to Bears Den.  
     “Opportunity has risen to preserve this sacred site, now and for our children, and future generations,” White said. “We appreciate your partnership and contributions toward uncovering the possibilities of this find, and the secrets that are yet to be revealed.”
    “If this unique site goes unprotected, or gets destroyed, we will never know the importance of its meaning. Any view into the past, is a learning and educational tool for the future. Once this is gone, it is gone, and there is no other to draw a resource from,” he added.
      Historically, the initial stories about the Paleoindian site were translated into multiple languages around the globe. The Bluemont community can expect international interest here again with the new results of this find.

The University of Washington State has agreed to use the Thermoluminescence (TL) method to help date heat-treated jasper found during the 2011 excavation. The TL technique has a range of 1,000 to 500,000 years, according to the U.S. Geological Survey web site. The team is also in the process of registering the Spout Run Site as a state-recognized prehistoric site with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and as a National Historic Landmark with the U.S. Department of Interior.

White said he is continuing plans to preserve the site for future generations and welcomes partners who wish to do the same. The team has been studying the PaleoIndian site for three years now.

Autumnal Equinox

On Sept. 22, during the Autumnal Equinox, the sun will be perpendicular (directly above) the equator. Viewers along the east coast will see the sun rise at a 90 degree in direct line-of-site to the east. In comparison, the site does not have direct line-of-site to the east coast because of the mountain so the sun has to rise higher and at an approximate 105 degree angle as it makes its way over the mountain to be seen at the Paleo-site here.

The Equinox is a precise moment in time which is common to all observers on Earth. Twice a year, in September and March, day and night become equal. There are only two Equinoxes only two days during the year, in September and March. The length of the day and night are approximately 12 hours a part, giving 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness at all points on the earth’s surface. The word Equinox comes from the Latin language “equi” meaning “equal” and “nox” meaning “night,” thus “equal nights.”

Most people recognize the September Equinox as the beginning of fall or autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. Others believe the Fall Equinox marks the mid-point between Autumn (which begins in August and ends in October). Seasons are opposite on either side of the equator during the Equinox. Many cultures and religions celebrate holidays or observe festivals around the September Equinox.

The triangular lead stone with foot-type markings outlined in chalk.

The Fall Equinox day of transition shows up on Mayan, Judaism, Buddhist, Druid, ancient Irish, Native American Indian calendars and more. René White (White Feather) is a resident of Clarke County, Bluemont, Virginia and owns the property described above.

By René White (White Feather) is a resident of Clarke County, Virginia and owns the property described in this story